Technical Field
The present invention relates to a securing element for securing a spindle to a supporting apparatus, in particular a bushing, wherein the securing element may be secured in at least one radial position and comprises at least one correspondingly formed coupling portion. The present invention further relates to components formed to correspond to the securing element, in particular a bushing, a cover for the bushing and a coupling element. Last but not least, the present invention relates to a securing system or a securing mechanism or a mounting set each comprising at least one securing element according to the invention, and a respective stand device.
In particular, the present invention relates to a securing element with single features of claim 1, as well as to the cover, the securing system, the bushing, the mounting set, and the stand device comprising single features of the respective independent claim, respectively, as well as the usage of such a securing element or one of these components on a stand device, in particular in an operating room.
Description of the Related Art
Stands, in particular, ceiling stands, as for example, ceiling supply units, monitor supports, or so-called spring arms or central axes, usually comprise one or more carriers arranged rigidly or in a way to be adjustable in height regarding a vertical position, by means of which an attached medical device may be moved and positioned, for example, in an operating room, in particular, also in an intensive care unit. On the stands supply units are usually attached, on which medical-electrical devices are arranged, for example, which will be supplied with the required media during surgery, for example. The carriers or supply units are usually supported to be rotatably and/or vertically adjustable and/or vertically pivotable around an at least approximately horizontally aligned axis. Depending on the function or design, the carriers may also be denoted as cantilevers, carrier arms or spring arms.
For such stands a simple mounting and/or a secure connection between individual carrier arms or on an interface to the supply unit are desired. It is particularly important to be able to arrange, support, and/or secure a carrier arm in a predefined axial position.
Stands are known for which a securement may be provided by means of a securing ring that is inserted from above in an axial direction or by means of a securing element that is secured by a sleeve against a displacement radially outwards, for example, as will be described briefly in the following.
According to a first variant, carrier arms may be secured by means of a securing ring, for example, that may engage in a groove of a carrier arm pin from above. Here, the securing ring may be held on a front bushing of the carrier arm. Between the securing ring and the bushing a (stainless steel) disk may be arranged in order to prevent jamming of the securing ring during a relative rotational movement of the carrier arm. A radial support of the carrier arm pin may be performed via sliding bearings or roller bearings pressed into the bushing. This kind of securement has the disadvantage that a technician is not able to see the securing ring, in particular on ceiling stands. This results in the risk that only a part of a securing ring may sit in the pin groove, thus the securing ring may become disengaged, which may cause the whole carrier arm to fall down.
According to a second variant, the lacking visibility of the securing ring may be solved in a way that the securing ring is arranged on an additional pipe-like part which radially supports the carrier arm pin. Here, the mounting is performed by screwing the additional pipe-like part onto another pipe-like step of the carrier arm. The additional pipe-like part may be mounted on the carrier arm already on the floor, thus a correct seat of the securing ring may be verified more easily. However, the additional pipe-like part has to be fastened to the (carrier arm) bushing afterwards, which may lead to some design disadvantages. For example, the additional pipe-like part may be adapted as a continuous cast aluminum profile that is screwed on the bushing with two radial screws. However, the load bearing capacity of the connection significantly depends on the thickness of the wall with which the additional pipe-like part is coupled. Stable, resilient solutions are thus costly.
According to a third variant, medical devices are often secured to a carrier arm by a securing element which is inserted in the lateral groove of the bushing and engages under a step on the carrier arm pin. In other words, stands are known where a securing element may be positioned in a predefined radial position and may be secured by means of an additional component, for example a sleeve shiftable in the axial direction. Here, the securing sleeve is pushed over the securing element from above in order to secure the securing element. This kind of securement may be used for a spindle supported in a bushing, for example. However, the usage of a securing element that is secured by a sleeve usually has the disadvantage that the securing element may fall down during mounting. In most cases, mounting is complicated, as the technician has to hold the medical device and also the sleeve and in addition has to insert the securing element at the same time. Thus, more than two hands, or at least two technicians, are required for mounting. In addition, the sleeve covers the securing element, thus a visual examination may not easily be performed.
For stands known in the art, mounting is comparatively complex or requires a very concentrated way of working, in particular not only from one technician, but from several technicians. In all variants described above, a strict mounting order has to be adhered to.